Industry chiefs coy over Holyrood sheep tag talks

Farming leaders were yesterday reluctant to comment on how discussions with the Scottish Government had gone after attending a meeting to discuss the thorny problems around the electronic identification of sheep.

The normally vocal George Milne, development officer with the National Sheep Association, emerged from the meeting but said he could not comment on how discussions had gone until tomorrow when it is believed a letter from the cabinet secretary Richard Lochhead will be published.

The problem of sheep EID has been bubbling along all summer after EU auditors raised worries that, without 100 per cent accuracy in identification, support payments would be affected, with financial penalties being imposed for discrepancies.

Initially it was believed a degree of flexibility would be allowed after the Scottish Government had intervened in Europe but two weeks ago MEP George Lyon MP said he had seen no evidence of any allowance having been negotiated.

Yesterday he and MSP Jim Hume, pictured right, submitted questions to both the Scottish and European Parliaments in attempt to clear up some of the confusion.

Lyon said he had done so in order to get a definitive view on the issue which might see Scottish farmers facing big financial penalties.

“I have impressed upon European authorities time and time again that 100 per cent compliance is simply not workable,” he said. “If 100 per cent compliance is what has been agreed then fines are all but inevitable due to the hill and upland nature of our sheep farming.

“The Scottish Government has been negotiating for months on this point but farmers now need answers and that is what I am seeking.”

Hume, who is himself a farmer in the Borders, agreed 100 per cent compliance was a non-starter. “It simply does not work. It is vital for the Scottish industry that the Scottish Government has made this one of their red lines in negotiation with the commission.”

But with mostly sealed lips coming out of the meeting, Scottish sheep farmers will have to wait. One senior source in the industry said that all they wanted was an assurance as to what level of accuracy would be acceptable.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Guidance about how to comply with the rules on sheep EID is being sent to every sheep producer in Scotland on Friday which will help to clarify the rules, particularly with regard to cross compliance.

“We fully understand why EID is a concern for sheep farmers – they feared the system was not just overly bureaucratic but also failed to take account of the unique nature of Scottish sheep farming.”